The Game

Gab Marcotti is joined by Henry Winter, Alyson Rudd and Alan Smith to wade through some big issues and talking points in the world of football. Manchester City’s quadruple hopes look stronger than ever as they return to the top of the Premier League. What is Pep Guardiola doing for the club’s image on the world stage? Plus the panel get stuck into the Raheem Sterling-Leonardo Bonucci-Moise Kean ra...

After a Sunday full of drama and controversy, Gab Marcotti is joined by Paul Joyce, James Gheerbrant and Bill Edgar to discuss the major talking points in the Premier League. Liverpool return to the top of the table with a last-gasp victory over Spurs at Anfield. How much of a role is luck playing in this title race? Could the defining moment of Liverpool’s season not involve Lloris and Alderweire...

Premier League football is back, as are Gab Marcotti, Alyson Rudd, James Gheerbrant and Paul Joyce for The Game podcast. And the big breaking news on Thursday morning is that Manchester United appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their permanent manager on a 3 year contract as Ed Woodward votes for Sunday roast. Is he the right appointment? Is this the right time? Can he be his own man? Liverpool take...

In a special episode, Gab Marcotti welcomes back Rory Smith to The Game podcast, as they pore through some of the biggest issues in football today. While Manchester United look to be filling their managerial vacancy with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, are they in danger of neglecting their structural failings as a club? VAR will be in the Premier League next season but is it battling against a narrative of...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Bill Edgar and George Caulkin to discuss the start of the Euro 2020 qualifiers. England face the Czech Republic on Friday night as they get their campaign underway, but where does newly qualified Declan Rice fit into Gareth Southgate's setup? What will Southgate's setup be? And how did Callum Hudson-Odoi get into the squad despite not starting a league...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Alyson Rudd and Paul Hirst to dissect club football before the last international break of the season. Wolves knock out Manchester United to progress to the FA Cup semi-finals. How does Nuno do it? Can we call it a shock? Do United need this break more than anyone? And have neighbours City been getting the luck of the draw this season? Liverpool are ba...

With 4 English teams making it through to the last 8 of the Champions League, Gab Marcotti, Natalie Sawyer, James Gheerbrant and Oli Kay run the rule over the contenders for Europe’s top title. After Liverpool’s comfortable win in Munich, there’s praise for the maturity of the Reds as well as the Mane man who has kept them on track in the last few months. We can’t rule out Barca or Juve but could...

It’s been a weekend of incomprehensible refereeing decisions and inexcusable fan behaviour. Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Matt Dickinson and Alan Smith to analyse it all. After individual pitch invaders at Hibernian, Arsenal and most shockingly Birmingham where Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish is punched, the panel discuss what can be done to better ensure player safety, as well as the...

Following a monumental week in Europe, Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Henry Winter and Alan Smith to examine the fall-out from a shocking Tuesday and Wednesday. Manchester United overcome a two-goal deficit with the help of VAR on a famous night in Paris and are through to the last eight of the Champions League. There’s praise for Solskjaer, Smalling and Rashford (are English player...

After a derbylicious weekend, Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are in the company of Alyson Rudd, Matthew Syed and Paul Joyce with plenty to discuss. Liverpool are held by Everton and lose the leadership of the Premier League. Is the pressure building on Jurgen Klopp and his players or are they suffering from a lack of depth? The North London derby was packed full of incident but also ended all squ...

After a full midweek fixture list, Gab Marcotti, Natalie Sawyer and Gary Jacob look ahead to a weekend packed full of derbies. Chelsea sweep aside Spurs despite the controversy surrounding the many statements of Kepa. Is Harry Kane’s frustration at Stamford Bridge, coupled with Mauricio Pochettino’s frustration at Turf Moor, indicative of a larger frustration? Arsenal are next in the North London...

After a huge Sunday of football happenings, Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Alyson Rudd and Paul Hirst to try and make sense of it all. Where else to start but with the Arrizabalaga saga? Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri tries to substitute his keeper Kepa in the League Cup final, who then refuses to come off. Was he disrespecting his manager? Would it have been a tactical masterstroke...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Oli Kay, Bill Edgar and George Caulkin ahead of a huge weekend of football. Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face bitter rivals Manchester United who are seeking to dent their title bid. But should Liverpool be worried about their fabled front three looking a bit off colour? Manchester City then look to retain the Carabao Cup against Chelsea and und...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer look ahead to another week of Champions League action in the company of Alan Smith and James Gheerbrant. With the top two in the Premier League both in action, will Liverpool prioritise the Premier League in favour of the Champions League? And will Manchester City do the opposite? Does this season represent a changing of the guard in Europe? Plus what happened when...

Gab Marcotti, Natalie Sawyer and Bill Edgar discuss two big Champions League nights with a man who was at Old Trafford and Wembley – Henry Winter. Tottenham dismantle Dortmund as the panel discuss how Mauricio Pochettino just gets better and better tactically, hence the staggering success of the Vertonghen gamble. And how are Tottenham unaffected by the variety of issues surrounding the club? The...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Oli Kay and James Gheerbrant after a seismic Sunday where Man City hit Chelsea for six. After 3 defeats in 4 games, with plenty of goals shipped in the process, Maurizio Sarri can’t seem to get a response from his players. Is his management of the media making this situation worse and should he be projecting more positivity? Did City go easy on Chelsea...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Henry Winter, Martyn Ziegler and Bill Edgar as the title race takes another twist. 7 days ago Liverpool missed the chance to go 7 points clear of Manchester City. Now the teams are separated by goal difference. Has Liverpool’s hiccup been coming? Will City’s experience prove telling? Or will Liverpool’s lack of games in comparison to City prove crucial...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Matt Hughes and Paul Hirst after a good weekend for the Manchester clubs. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sensational performance as interim manager at Old Trafford makes the possibility of him not being given the job permanently more and more improbable. After another victory over Leicester, would the appointment of anybody other than Ole cause uproar? And cou...

A full midweek Premier League programme and a transfer deadline – what a feast for Natalie Sawyer, Gab Marcotti, Oli Kay, James Gheerbrant and George Caulkin. Liverpool miss the chance to go 7 points clear but do extend their lead to 5 points at the top of the Premier League. Did the Reds show weakness and has it been coming? And are we being too harsh on Manchester City given the points total the...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Paul Joyce, Alan Smith and former Chelsea winger and award-winning author Paul Canoville after FA Cup 4th round weekend. Millwall shock Everton but events off the pitch overshadow that achievement, with racist chants heard in the stands. What can be done to counteract this behaviour? On the pitch, the pressure ramps up on Marco Silva with many question...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer host an author special this Thursday on The Game podcast. Joshua Robinson, co-author of The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports , joins us alongside The Times chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler, to discuss the global juggernaut that is England’s top tier. We delve into the knowledge of Joshua and his co...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Matt Dickinson and Alan Smith after an impactful weekend in the Premier League. Arsenal beat Chelsea emphatically at the Emirates, causing Blues boss Maurizio Sarri to publicly question his players’ motivation ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Spurs. Is it a gamble worth taking? Has Sarri neglected other members of his squad for too long? Or i...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Henry Winter and Bill Edgar on a week that has everyone in the world of football talking. Arsenal take on Chelsea in a pivotal clash in the Champions League chase but it’s been a turbulent week off the pitch for the Gunners. It appears Ivan Gazidis has left Arsenal in a huge mess, as head of recruitment Sven Mislintat looks set to be the next man out t...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are back with Alyson Rudd and Paul Hirst in tow to talk the major issues of the weekend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect start as Manchester United manager continues, with victory over Tottenham, as he becomes the first United manager to win his first 6 games in charge. Is Solskjaer more than a just a man who puts smiles on faces and did Wembley showcase his tactical...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by James Gheerbrant and Oli Kay ahead of a big Premier League weekend and following a footballing week that provided plenty of talking points on and off the pitch. Tottenham host Manchester United on Sunday. With the Red Devils rampant under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the panel discuss how the Norwegian has built his team around Paul Pogba. And with a further...